Wire safety pin unit



Sept. 28, 1954 c. M. CLARK WIRE SAFETY PIN UNIT Filed Nov. 14, 1951 INVENTOR CkarlesMClarlz ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,689,994 WIRE SAFETY PIN UNIT Charles M. Clark, Clearwater, Fla.

Application November 14, 1951, Serial No. 256,319

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in pins with pin guards, and is a continuation-inpart of my prior co-pending application, Serial Number 247,411, filed September .20, 1951, for Safety Pins.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pin structure and guard from one single length of wire, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture to minimum.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel guard structure for a pin point and novel arrangement for combining the pin body therewith.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly summarized in the appended claims.

In the drawing like parts throughout the several views are given like numerals and thus identified in the following detailed description:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention shown in solid and dotted line position;

Figure 2 is a side view thereof showing the pin point and shank in solid and in dotted line positions as it is moved toward the pin closed position;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the invention with the arrows indicating the path of movement of the pin from open to closed position with re- I spect to. the guide bar; and

Figure 4 is a modification showing a cap for engagement over the wire pin guard.

Referring in detail to the drawings and first with particular reference to Figure l, the invention comprises a U-shaped pin structure having a leg 10 free at its upper end and formed with penetrating point ll, said leg being laterally and resiliently biased with respect to an opposite or second leg I2. The leg 12 is formed intermediate its length into a spring coil 13. This coil I3 serves as a spring to permit resiliency of the novel pin guard M, which is formed as a continuation of the leg [2.

The guard l4 comprises a strand l6 extending at substantially right angles from the upper end of the laterally biased leg I2 from a bend l to a second substantially right angled bend [1, which continues into a second strand [8 upstanding and at substantially right angles with respect to the first strand IS. The second strand I8 is connected by right angle bend l9 to a rectangle frame formed with continuous side and end strand portions 20, 2t, 22 and 23, respectively. The strands 20, 2| and 22 are all one continuous unbroken rectangular loop. However, the strand 23 is not continuous as it is pinched together, offset to center of the loop and turned downwardly to form a leg 24. This leg 24 in turn connects and is part of a longitudinal guide bar or strand 25 with an upturned end 2'! from a right angled bend 26. The guide bar 25 is spaced apart from the first strand It in substantially parallel relation thereto, and the strand l6 cooperates with the guide bar 25 to form a receiving section for the pin point end ll of the leg l0 after it has been moved forward from pin open position along the opposite side of the guide bar and around the upturned terminal end 271' into pin closed position.

If desired a cap 28 may be pressed onto the bottom loop of the pin legs Ill and [2.

In Figure 4 the pin and guard structure are identical in form to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the difference being only in the addition to the rectangular loop of a snap on rectangular cap or cover 29. This cap may be of plastic, metal or any suitable material and is used to snap over the loop strands and firmly hold the loop rigid as well as serve to provide additional protection from the pin point ll.

When closing the pin to fasten sections of material together, the pin leg 10 and its point H are moved from the normally laterally offset position with respect to leg l2 from outside the guide bar 25, see Fig. l. The path of movement is defined by the arrows and dotted lines around the end 21 and into position between the strand l6 and the adjacent side of the guide bar 25, see Figure 4. When in this position the pin is closed.

The releasing of the pin is facilitated by the spring coil 13 which permits the guard assembly It to be yieldably displaced so as to permit the pin leg I 0 to be pulled down sufiiciently to be retracted from the cloth free of the guide bar 25 and strand [6.

Thus, there is provided a novel safety pin construction formed completely of one piece of wire, including'the pin portion and the guard formed as one unit, and further providing a quickly fastened and quickly released pin for great efficiency in use, said assembled structure being so arranged and proportioned as to have the pin point under cover at all times.

While only two preferred specific embodiments of the invention are hereinbefore set forth, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions illustrated and described because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety pin comprising a wire U-shaped loop and a guard, one end of the wire forming a first leg terminating in a pin point and the other end of said wire loop being formed into the guard, said guard comprising a rectangular body extending horizontally across the open top of the U-shaped loop, said body having an elongated guide bar spaced inward of the plane of the said body also extending across the open top of the U-shaped loop, said elongated guide bar being connected to and extending partially the length of said guard body from adjacent one end toward the opposite end thereof, said guide bar having an upturned end, said guard being connected to said loop through an off-set guide strand portion formed on the opposite end of the second leg of the said U-shaped loop structure spaced inwardly and parallel with the said guard connecting with a corner of the said rectangular guard body, Whereby said first leg with said pin point is free to be moved within the confines of said rectangular body into position behind or in front of said guide bar around the said upturned end of the bar below the area covered by the horizontal plane of said body.

2. A safety pin comprising a wire U-shaped loop and a guard, one end of the wire forming a first leg terminating in a pin point and the other end of said wire loop being formed into the guard, said guard comprising a rectangular body extending horizontally across the open top of the U- shaped loop, said body having an elongated guide bar spaced inward of the plane of the said body also extending across the open top of the U- shaped loop, said elongated guide bar being connected to and extending partially the length of said guard body from adjacent one end toward the opposite end thereof, said guide bar having an upturned end, said guard being connected to said loop through an off-set guide strand portion formed on the opposite end of the second leg of the said U-shaped loop structure spaced inwardly and parallel with the said guard connecting with a corner of the said rectangular guard body, whereby said first leg with said pin point is free to be moved within the confines of said rectangular body into position behind or in front of said guide bar around the said upturned end of the bar below the area covered by the horizontal plane of said body, and a coiled spring formed from said second leg of the U-shaped loop permitting greater freedom for exposing the pin point when it is to be inserted into material for use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 398,140 Farmer Feb. 19, 1889 541,765 Lee June 25, 1 5 .3 0 Colbath Mar, 9, 1897 908,693 Olop Jan, 5, 1909 1,112,098 Scott Sept. 29, 1914 2,429,337 Abbott Oct. 21, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,354 Great Britain of 1 

